DISTANCE LEARNING
What are the Pro's and Con's of distance learning?
It's important when making any big decision to fully understand as much as you can about it and find out all the pro's and con's related to it. We firmly believe that distance learning has a great many advantages to it and very few disadvantages however it is vital that you know all the pro's and cons in detail so that you can then make an informed choice based on the facts.
The Pro's of distance learning:
Perhaps the biggest advantage of distance learning is the flexibility and freedom it gives you to learn what you want. You can work as and when you like and at your own pace, without having to keep up with the rest of the class. This flexibility is vital for people who have busy lives and can only fit in time for studying at certain odd hours or on certain days. This benefit of distance learning means that many people who would not be able to take on a traditional course can now achieve their goals and earn their qualifications.
If you live many miles away from a school, have no form of transport or have limited mobility then distance learning gives you the chance to be able to study a course easily from your own home. Distance learning courses are designed to be easily accessible for everyone to use and they incorporate a number of different types of media to ensure this, anything from postal services to video conferencing and the internet. The one thing that all these programs share is that they are all delivered to you without you having to go to them.
Everyone knows that going to university is very expensive. It often leaves students emerging with debts in the thousands and years of hard work ahead to be able to pay it all off. One of the great things about distance learning is that it is much cheaper than going to conventional universities. There are number of reasons why it is cheaper such as, you don't have to pay for food and lodgings, you don't have to pay to be in their old, impressive looking buildings and you won't spend any money on going to student parties! Also being less expensive doesn't mean that the education is not of the same quality as you usually get exactly the same course through distance learning as would get if you had gone to the traditional university.
Thanks to the recent popularity and explosion of distance education there are now a great many choices of distance learning courses and providers to choose from. You can now find thousands of well-recognised, respected schools and universities that offer distance learning programs and degrees as well as hundreds of online training centres that offer a wide range of certification courses on just about any subject.
Years ago if you told someone that you had got your qualification through online learning or distance learning they would probably have thought that you were mad and employers wouldn't have even looked at it, let alone taken it seriously. However nowadays online training and learning is a big industry and degrees from accredited online schools and universities carry just as much value and respect as their traditional counterparts.
The Con's of distance learning:
For some people the company of fellow students is vital for them to succeed in their learning goals and is all part of the attraction of further education. If you need and prefer to work closely with other students to get the best out of your learning experience then you may find yourself feeling isolated on a distance learning course.
With the ability to set your own pace on a distance learning course you may find it hard to make yourself do the work and to stick to the course. Some people lack the discipline or motivation to set their own schedule for studying and they will probably soon find themselves lagging behind and may eventually drop out of the course altogether.
- Lack of Face-to-face contact and support
One of the disadvantages of distance learning is the lack of face-to-face contact and support from other students and tutors. Being able to ask a question and get an immediate answer is important for many students who may find the work difficult. Also it helps some people to understand things better if they are able to talk it through with someone else. However, there are now many distance learning courses where you can get the telephone number of your tutor and can talk live to other students via chat rooms so this problem is hopefully a diminishing one.
- Understanding the technology
It's important before embarking on a distance learning program that you understand the technology and medium that is going to be used to deliver the course materials to you. Many people are still unsure how the internet and chat rooms work for example and would find it hard to undertake an online course without this basic knowledge and confidence in their ability.